[Quantitative assessment of pulmonary arterial diastolic and mean pressure using continuous wave Doppler].

Continuous wave Doppler echocardiographic study was performed almost simultaneously with right heart catheterization in 24 patients with a variety of cardiovascular disorders and evidence of pulmonary regurgitation detected by pulsed wave Doppler. Their pulmonary arterial diastolic and mean pressure (PADP and PAMP) measured during catheterization were ranging from 5 to 70.6 (mean 30.26 +/- 18) mmHg and from 6.7 to 91.14 (mean 42.41 +/- 23.23) mmHg, respectively. The right ventricular end-diastolic pressure was within normal limit in all but one. The peak, mean and end-diastolic pressure gradients of pulmonary regurgitation (PPRPG, MPRPG and PRPGed) were calculated using simplified Bernoulli Equation and their correlations with PADP and PAMP were analysed using linear regression method. There were close correlations between all PRPGs and PADP or PAMP (r = 0.85 - 0.94, P less than 0.0001). The best equation for assessing PADP was MPRPG + 6 mmHg (r = 0.94, P less than 0.0001), for PAMP was PPRPG + 8 mmHg (r = 0.92, P less than 0.0001). It is evident that those constants in the equations should be adjusted in individual patient who has coexisting right heart failure.